NJIT Grad Elected to National Academy of Engineering

Lieutenant General Ellen Pawlikowski, who graduated in 1978 with a degree in chemical engineering, was recently elected to the National Academy of Engineering. Election to the National Academy of Engineering is among the highest professional distinctions awarded an engineer.

Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to "engineering research, practice, or education.” Pawlikowski is the commander, Space and Missile Systems Center, Air Force Space Command, Los Angeles Air Force Base, CA. NJIT also awarded her an honorary degree during its May 20, 2013 commencement.

In her job as commander, she is responsible for more than 5,000 employees nationwide and an annual budget of $10 billion. As the Air Force Program Executive Officer for Space, she manages the research, design, development, acquisition and sustainment of satellites and the associated command and control systems. Her portfolio includes military satellite communication, missile warning as well as navigation and timing. It also includes space-based weather, space launch and test ranges, certification for launch, space superiority, responsive space and other emerging evolutionary space programs.

Pawlikowski entered the Air Force in 1978 through the ROTC program at NJIT. She was awarded a doctorate in chemical engineering from the University of California at Berkeley in 1981 and entered active duty soon afterwards at McClellan Air Force Base, CA. Her other major awards and decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters; Legion of Merit; Defense Meritorious Service Medal; Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters; Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster; Air Force Achievement Medal; and Air Force Individual Recognition Ribbon.

One of the nation’s leading public technological universities, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) is a top-tier research university that prepares students to become leaders in the technology-dependent economy of the 21st century. NJIT’s multidisciplinary curriculum and computing-intensive approach to education provide technological proficiency, business acumen and leadership skills. With an enrollment of 11,400 graduate and undergraduate students, NJIT offers small-campus intimacy with the resources of a major public research university. NJIT is a global leader in such fields as solar research, nanotechnology, resilient design, tissue engineering and cybersecurity, in addition to others. NJIT ranks 5th among U.S. polytechnic universities in research expenditures, topping $121 million, and is among the top 1 percent of public colleges and universities in return on educational investment, according to PayScale.com. NJIT has a $1.74 billion annual economic impact on the State of New Jersey.